My Hands Are My Eyes
by Faerie in Combat Boots
Summary: Toph wants to know what those around her look like. So she goes on a mission to find out. I know it sounds done, but just read it.Slight implied tophaang with a little bit of onesided tokka.
1. Prologue

First off, I do not own Avatar. Not at all. Don't remind me.

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Toph Bei Fong was blind but could see vibrations with her feet. This was useful for getting around and fighting and basic things, but not so great for details. When it came to details, she had her hands. Since she was a child she could make out the details on varying items in her home just by feeling them. She would run her fingers over an item, check for textures and other sensations. Was it smooth or was it bumpy? Was it warm or cold? Was it soft or hard? Her fingers usually got it right. However, she never touched anyone's face. She wasn't close enough to anyone on her household to want to get to know their facial features, not even her parents. Well she was never close to her parents anyway. She usually listened to their voices or picked up on their scents to tell who was who.

But Toph was changing. She was no longer in a gilded cage, with people she didn't want to know. Now she was surrounded by a rag tag group of people, each with a colorful personality. The kind of people you wanted to know. She was in close quarters with them everyday, she couldn't tell them apart by smell anymore. They all smelled like sweat and bison. Sure she could recognize them by voice, but the catch was, after being with them all for awhile she was, for once in her life curious to know what those around looked like.

Toph sat in her rock wondering how she could figure out what her companions looked like. Sure she could ask, but the descriptions wouldn't work, she had never seen any colors other than the blacks and grays her eyes were blocked by.

She sat racking her brain, thinking until she remembered. Whenever she wanted to know details, she always touched the object she wanted to know about, felt it, let her fingertips explore until she got a pretty good idea of what it was she was holding. Yes, that's how she'd go about this problem. She would touch each of their faces, and study their features until she knew them. Not just so she could recognize them, but because she wanted to know them.

The question was, would they want her to touch their faces?


	2. Iroh

Toph crawled out of her rock tent, her feet searching for vibrations. Someone was by the fire. It was daytime, but while Katara practiced her bending, Aang and Zuko practiced firebending, and Sokka hunted she had a strange feeling that the old general was making tea, again.

She wandered over to the fire, feeling the warmth lap against her bare legs. She could smell the brewing leaves.

"General Iroh?" She queried.

"You can call me Iroh if you like, Toph," he said calmly.

"Um yeah, sure. Iroh can I ask you a question?" she asked awkwardly.

Iroh looked up at the young girl. Her face was pointed towards the point of tea, though she could not see it, she looked anxious.

"What is it?" Iroh asked, concerned.

"What do you look like?" she asked, bashfully.

Iroh laughed. That was all? A question as trivial as that? He was afraid of something involving womanhood.

"Sorry to laugh." He said.

"Well, I'll tell what I look like. I was once very trim, but now I am rather…"

"That won't help me," she said shortly.

"I've always been blind. Visual descriptions are like singing to the deaf. I need to use my hands to see."

"Ah. I understand now," Iroh said with a calm smile.

"Come closer Miss Toph and 'take a look'"

Toph reached her hands towards the old man. The first thing her hands touched was smooth and round, like a pregnant woman (not that she'd ever touched a pregnant woman's stomach).

"What is that!?" She asked astonished.

"Iroh let out a great laugh, making the mound under her hands shake.

"That's my big belly," he chuckled.

"In my age I have put on some weight."

Toph grinned then moved her hands on to his face. She felt the many wrinkles and creases as Iroh explained:

"As people get older their faces get all crinkly. It'll even happen to you!"

She ran her hands over the smooth crown of her bald head.

"You also lose hair when you get old, sometimes!" he laughed.

"It's like a melon," she whispered.

Finally Toph, hands touched his coarse gray beard.

"It's like Momo's on your chin!" she laughed.

Iroh joined in her child-like laughter. He laughed even harder when he saw Momo look up at them and glare at the comment.

Toph's hands returned to her sides.

"Remember Toph, I am the only one in the group with a beard. And a big belly!" he said.

"Now that you know what I look like, would you care for some tea?"

"Yes please," Toph said, sitting and accepting a cup.


	3. Iroh's Thoughts

After their cup of tea, Iroh watched the young girl walk away. What an awkward moment. He'd met blind people in his many years, but none of them had touched his face. The last person who had touched his face with such curiosity and wonder was an infant Zuko.

But why, wondered Iroh, did the blind girl want to know what everyone looked like? She told them she could see with her bending. She also told them her smell and hearing were so acute that she could tell them all apart. She followed that remark up with a joke about Sokka's body odor.

Iroh stirred at the dregs of his tea with his index finger, thinking. Now why would she have to touch people's faces to know what they look like?

Perhaps, Iroh realized, she has grown emotionally close to the group. 'She probably wanted to know what I look like because we get along so well.' Iroh thought to himself. He thought of the many times himself and the blind girl had had tea together. They could talk about many things together, despite the age differences and she had become much like a daughter to the old general.

"Wait! Toph!" he called out. She stopped in her tracks and turned her head towards his voice.

"What?" she replied walking back to him.

"Why did you want to know what I looked like?" He asked her.

She paused for a minute, as if unwilling to talk but her mouth opened and she said:

"I've spent so much time with you and everyone else, I got curious." She said.

"I always wondered what the face behind the voice and the mask of my blindness was,"

And with that she walked away in search of another face to explore.


	4. Katara

Toph left Iroh at the fire, knowing he was smiling. She was too, naturally. The old man had become more of a father figure to her than her own biological father had.

She could the gentle whisper of a river nearby. That's where Katara would be. She wanted to feel what Katara looked like next, rememebringthat KAtara had once called her pretty. She wanted to know if she could return the favor.

She walked to the riverbank, seeing with the vibrations of the earth. She could see the hollow in the earth where the river was, the gentle sloping dip. She could hear the tumbling whisper of the river.

"Katara?" she called out.

"Sugar Queen? Are you in there?"

She heard splashing and then footsteps coming towards her.

"Something wrong, Toph?" Katara asked, kindly.

"Remember when we went to the spa in Ba Sing Se? When you told me I was beautiful?" Toph began.

"But I couldn't return the compliment, because I can't see?"

"I do remember," Katara said softly.

"Is this what you called me from the water for?"

"Part of it." Toph said.

"Now I want to know what you look like. And before you start describing yourself, I'll have you know, visual details mean nothing. My hands are my eyes in this situation. I'll need to touch your face,"

Katara stood still watching the normally tough and stoic Earth Bender. Toph wanted to touch her face? She felt a little uncomfortable at the thought, but if she was helping a friend, especially one who couldn't see, then she could do it.

"Of course you may," Katara said cheerfully, leading Toph to sit down on a sun-baked rock.

The first thing Toph did was put her hand on Katara's abdomen.

"What are you doing? I thought you were going to touch my face!" Katara exclaimed.

"I'm checking to see if you have a big belly, like Iroh," Toph said blushing.

"I don't," Katara said stiffly. She was in her underpinnings, and even though everyone (except, respectively, Toph) had seen her water bend in them, no one had gone up to her and put their hands on her bare stomach. Even though it was flat and she had no reason to be self-conscious about it, it still embarrassed the young woman to have someone touch a normally clothing covered patch of skin.

"I don't have a belly like Iroh's. Everyone else in the group has a relatively flat stomach, so when you go to feel what they look like, don't surpise them like you suprised me" Katara said stiffly.

"Did I make you uncomfortable?" Toph asked honestly.

"A little bit," Katara said.

"But don't let that stop you."  
Toph moved her hands up to Katara's neck; it was delicate and swan-like. She felt the smooth band of her necklace, then the polished and carved surface of the pendant.

"It belonged to my mother and Grandmother," Katara explained.

"It feels pretty," Toph said.

Her hands moved onto Katara's face at last. She felt Katara's smooth cheeks, her slightly pointed chin and her perfectly sized forehead. She felt Katara's cleanly groomed eyebrows. Katara closed her eyes and let Toph gently feel the lids and lashes along with the rims of her eye sockets.

"I think you have wide eyes," Toph murmured.

She felt Katara's delicate nose and soft little lips. Her fingers ran over the shells of Katara's ears. She fingered Katara's hair loops, and the beads that she wore with them. She felt the tiny notch in Katara's hair line. She felt the roll of hair that the loops attached to, then ran her hands over Katara's long silky braid. Then her hands drew back, quest finished.

"Katara, I can definitely return that compliment now. You are very pretty,"


	5. Finding Sokka

Toph left the river, searching for someone else. She wandered into the woods, listening to the sound of animals. When she was with Katara, she had forgotten that Iroh had told her that he was the only one with a big belly. Her forgetfulness had led to an embarrassing situation. But with all of them in close quarters there was always an embarrassing situation, so it became something everyone was used to. At first, it was a big thing when Zuko accidentally saw Katara bathing, but now when he walked in on her no one raised on eyebrow (Though Iroh insisted the boy was doing it on purpose). Thing was, with Toph's new family, a faux pas was a faux pas and nobody got judged for it (though both Sokka and Toph would make jokes about it)

And speaking of Sokka…

Toph could hear silent curses. A boy's voice, still in the awkward phase between manhood and childhood. She could smell sweat and jerky. Sokka was nearby.

He couldn't see her, he was probably too busy trying to track a rabbit to bring in for dinner.

She moved closer to him, knowing where he was standing, seeing him with vibrations in the earth.

"Sokka? Snoozeles?" She piped up.

"Is that you?"

Sokka stopped what he was doing and turned, a bit peeved that his hunting was interrupted. He turned around and saw Toph standing, staring blankly in his direction.

"Is something wrong Toph?" He asked.

Toph gulped. Things were awkward between them. Just a few months ago, she'd had a heart-rending crush on him. The kind that felt like flowers blooming only to be stepped on by a teenage boy who was no better at reading feelings than Zuko was at making tea.

She wasn't sure how it had happened, this infatuation. It was her first crush and a complete surprise. What was it that drew her to him at first? Was it his sarcasm, so similar to her own? Was it the way he smelled sometimes after fighting or hunting, was it his voice? It was something. But the feelings faded at Serpent's Pass, after Suki came along, oh she knew they'd kissed. She knew she could never have him and while they were in Ba Sing Se she got over her crush and her anger towards him and moved on. And now even though they were friends and nothing more, she still felt awkward around him.

"What is it?" he asked again.

"Can I ask you something?" she began, heart racing.


	6. Sokka

**When I say intimate in this story, I don't mean like there's any sexy stuffs happening. I mean intimate as in close. This chapter has some slight slight Tokka! And a very small hint of zutara that is so tiny it one piss anyone off!  
**

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Toph paused. Would he even let her do this? This was Sokka. He put on a tough act and acted like a jerk. But maybe, just maybe he would let her… Toph could read him. She knew he wasn't that tough, that he could be a softie sometimes. Maybe he'd agree.

"What did you want to ask me?" He asked her, walking closer.

"I was just- uh wondering um, what y-you looked like," she mumbled so softly he could not hear her.

"What? I couldn't hear you," he said, rubbing his finger in his ear.

"I wanted to know what you looked like!" she blurted out, face her face glowing scarlet.

Sokka let out a laugh, making Toph's gut twist in fear.

"It's not funny," she shouted at him bending a rock in his direction.

Sokka dodged the rock and looked at the blushing girl. So she was serious. What could he tell her? Sokka wasn't that dumb. Toph had been blind all her life, so if her told his eyes were blue it wouldn't help. She didn't know what blue was.

"How can I help you?" he asked confused.

"Well, I know this sounds weird, but I have to touch your face," She said, head down, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"My hands are filling in for my eyes."

Sokka stared at her wide-eyed. Like everyone else he wasn't used to people touching his face. Sure back home the babies would grab his ponytail or poke him in the eye, but that was a baby's curiosity, right? Having a girl nearly his own age touch his face in the same manner, would be in a word, awkward.

'But maybe Toph is curious.' He thought to himself.

'Like a baby would be. Hey, that's pretty cute. I can picture Toph as a baby. Okay, Sokka let her do what she has to. But when you reply DON'T BABY TALK HER!'

"Why do you want to know what I look like?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"I'm curious," she said softly.

"I've known you for some time and I want to know the face behind the sarcasm and the meat obsession,"

Sokka grinned at her remark. On top of getting his two best assets noticed, his theory was right!

"Of course you can," Sokka grinned, started to bubble with pride.

He knelt down for her, and she placed her hands on his face. His skin was smooth, and warm from hunting. She felt the shape of his face, from the smooth high forehead, to his masculine cheekbones, which narrowed out to a well-shaped chin, which was a mix between sqaure and pointed. She ran her hands down his neck, thicker than Katara's and encircled by a bone necklace.

He blushed at the tickle of her delicate fingers and cool palms. He didn't expect it to be so _intimate._ He thought she would jab at his face and then go away, he did not expect an in-depth search of his visage. Meanwhile she was feeling his eyebrows and the orbital bones surrounding his eye sockets, as if to guess the size of his eyes. She ran her fingers over his nose, which was broader than Katara's but not overly large. She ran her fingers over his chapped lips, both of them flushing a rosy color. Just a few months ago, she would have done anything to touch his lips. But now she wasn't very sure. She herself had chapped lips and from feeling her own face out of curiosity, had found chapped lips to be an unpleasant feeling.

Toph lifted her hands from his lips, unsure of where to go next. She raised her fingers, found his ears, touched them, and burst into giggles.

"What's so funny?" he groused in embarrassment.

"You have such big ears," she snorted.

"But hey that's okay, it could be worse,"

She moved her hands over his scalp, felt the prickly fuzz where he'd shaved his head. She giggled at that too, for the short hairs tickled her fingers. Then she found his Warriors Wolf Tail. It felt silky, which was a surprise to her. She tugged on the ponytail gently, making Sokka yelp, then tugged the leather tie from his hair. She ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the texture immensely. Sokka turned beet red, wishing it would be over, this was so awkward.

She drew back, handed him his hair tie. There was silence.

"I like your hair," she whispered.

"It's very smooth. And silky. Well except for the prickly bit."

"Um thanks," he said, hand resting behind his head.

"Um can you not tell anyone about this?"

"They'd understand." She said.

"I've already touched both Iroh's and Katara's faces."

"Not Aang? Or Zuko?" Sokka asked.

"Not yet," Toph replied.

"Well, wait until you touch Zuko's face," Sokka said.

"You'll get quite a shock,"

Toph walked away from him at that comment, wondering what he meant. What did he mean "A shock"?

'Maybe Zuko's really ugly. Or he has pimply skin. But he doesn't sound ugly. Actually he sounds handsome. Even the vibrations he creates feel handsome. I know that when ever he's around Katara's heart beats faster and her breathing goes fast. What's wrong with him then?' Toph wondered.

And with sudden resolve, she went to find Zuko, so she could 'see' for herself what Sokka meant by 'shocking'.


	7. Zuko

She walked on, using her vibrations to find Zuko. She could feel him too, by the heat his body radiated. She assumed he'd be meditating or practicing. He was like a soldier in every way. He didn't waste his time.

She found him in a clearing and knew from the heat around her that he was practicing. She knew he didn't like being interrupted, but the curiosity that plagued her urged her to.

"Zuko!" she called out, loud enough for him to hear.

He stopped then, and turned. He looked at her, the little blind girl, looking nervous, but somewhat slightly determined.

"What do you want? Has the Water Tribe girl finished making dinner?" he asked pulling his tunic on. He knew she was blind, but usually when a girl was around, he liked to cover himself. He was modest for a well-built Fire Prince.

"No, but this isn't about dinner. This is about you," Toph said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Can I touch your face, so I can see what you look like? My hands are my eyes, I have no other way of doing it," Toph explained to him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Zuko said.

"I don't want anyone touching my face,"  
"You can't look that bad," Toph said.

"You have no idea," Zuko grumbled sitting down in the grass.

"I'll be the judge of how bad it is." Toph said moving closer.

"No! I don't want anyone touching me!" Zuko shouted.

Toph stepped back, but still persisted. She wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Listen Zuzu, if you don't let me do this, I'm going to tell Katara about the poem you wrote. You know which one!" Toph sneered, beginning to recite the poem.

"_Oh sweet muse, blue-eyed temptress! How I long…_"

Zuko covered her mouth with his hand and agreed to do what she asked.

"Okay you can touch me, but try to avoid the left side of my face," he said gruffly.

She started with his hair. It felt silky and it grew wildly. She ran her fingers through it, impressed with it's texture and how clean it was for a boy's hair.

She moved her hands over the right side of his face. His face was smooth and androgynous and his cheeks were warm with the fire that radiated from his person. She ran a finger of the arch of his eyebrow and stroked his pointed nose. He was a handsome young man, even if he could be stubborn and gloomy. She felt the smooth curve of his jaw, noting that his face was more feminine than Sokka's and she touched his pointed chin. Toph ran her fingers over his thin lips. They were smoother than Sokka's but she had no desire to kiss them. She felt the shell of his ear and nodded, impressed.

But then she decided to disobey him. What was so bad about the left side of his face? The rest of him was handsome!

"You're very handsome Flame Boy," she said using her moniker for him.

"Why are you so ashamed of the left side of your face?"

She never let him answer. Toph place her right hand gently on to the left side of his face and let out a gasp. It was horrific. Nearly all of that side was rough, uneven and utterly deformed. She felt his left ear, and was horrified to find it was just as mutilated. No one had to tell her what it was. She knew right away that it was scar tissue, and not just any scar tissue, this was a burn scar. She knew Zuko felt humiliated, angry, and saddened.

"Now you know," He choked out.

"Who did this to you?" she asked.

"It was an accident!" he lied.

"No it wasn't. I can tell you're lying," she said roughly.

"Someone did this to you and I want to know who! If you don't tell me, Iroh will!"

"Fine! It was my father!" Zuko burst out, pushing Toph away from him.

"He did this to me!"

Toph didn't say a thing. She knew people could be cruel, but nobody could do this to his own son, could they? Could they really do such a horrific thing? She touched the right side of his face and found wetness. He had shed some tears. She knew why. It was because she wouldn't see him weaken. But she understood what that felt like.

"You can talk to me about it. I'll listen to you for as long as you need." She said softly, reaching a hand out to him.

Zuko lightly brushed his fingers against hers.

"Thank you, Toph," he whispered.


	8. Prelude to Aang

Zuko had told Toph the story of how he got his scar, how is whole chase for the Avatar had started. She understood, knowing quite a bit about honor and struggling to please your parents, knowing you would never be good enough for them.

Afterwards, he bowed to her, thanking her again for listening, while she bowed in return, thanking him for letting her touch his face.

"I have one more person to see," she said as she turned away.

"Who?" he asked.

"The very same person you've been chasing for nearly three years," she said with a brazen smile.

Aang, the Avatar, or as Toph lovingly called him, Twinkletoes. When she first met him, she was frustrated with him. That frustration gave way to an odd companionship. By title he was The Last Airbender and the Avatar and she was The Blind Bandit, a Master Earthbender and an heiress to the Bei Fong riches. But there were days when the titles didn't exist. Days when they were just Aang and Toph. Two kids who laughed over stupid things and goofed off. It was on days like that when Toph loved him.

Did she love him? After she got over Sokka, she noticed she'd started becoming rather fond of Aang. She found she liked his smooth cheery voice, the lightness in his steps. She had to be blunt developed a crush on him. And the crush was beginning to bloom into the pangs of first love.

She walked along thinking about him. It was Aang, who's features she was most curious about. What would he look like?

Just then, she found him. She could feel his light vibrations, emanating towards her. His vibrations were the lightest out of everyone. It seemed he was simply walking by himself. He had been doing that a lot. The weight of the world was heavy on him and he often went off on his own to think about his life. She could feel his fear and doubt. He was afraid of the future and he wanted to be alone. He didn't have to be alone. She was more than willing to stand by his side.

"Aang?" she called.

"I need to know something. What do you look like?"


	9. Aang

Aang stopped walking. What did she just ask him?

"But can't you see with your Earth Bending?" He asked her.

"I can see shapes, but I can't see details." Toph said, trying to sound like her usual tough self.

"What do you need to see my face then?" Aang asked.

"Well, I need to touch your face," She said blushing.

Aang's heart stopped in his throat. This was just as bad as The Cave Incident with Katara. Should he let her? Of course, he had to. It was the kind thing. She was his friend. He cared about her.

"Sure you can," Aang said.

"Great, um that's great," Toph stammered. She moved closer to him and could hear his heart beat loudly, his breathing go fast.

She put her hands on his face and felt his smooth cheeks, his gently sloped and pointed chin. She felt his button of a nose and he well-groomed eyebrows. She ran her fingers over his ears and laughed.

"They stick out!" she giggled while Aang blushed.

She felt him warm up under his hands. So this was embarrassing him? She felt devious. She decided to flirt, make him uncomfortable. She went to run her finger through his hair play with it as she had Sokka's but her plan was automatically thwarted. She felt nothing. Nothing but a round smoothness under her hands, he was bald! She gasped, at the sensation.

"You're BALD!" she exclaimed, mouth gaping, feeling his baby smooth head.

"I'm a monk! Of course I am!" He laughed, still blushing.

Well she couldn't play with his hair. What could she do to flirt with him? Then she realized, she had forgotten to touch one part of his face.

She placed her fingers on Aang's lips, they were soft, like petals. She felt him flush red as a rose and she flushed in turn. Then she had a wonderfully devilish idea.

Aang had his eyes closed for the entire session so far, so he couldn't look at her face while she got up close and personal with him. So he when she lifted her fingers from her lips he opened his eyes. He was startled when he saw her face looming towards his, lips partly open and puckering.

She hoped to the Earth Gods that her aim was right. She was a Master Earthbender, not a mistress of romance. She felt her lips make contact with something soft. It didn't have she same feel has his nose, cheek or chin so it had to be… it was! She didn't miss! She made the kiss long and hard, an Earthbender's kiss.

Aang squirmed under her forceful kiss, surprised, but not displeased. He pressed his own lips back lightly, a soft airy kiss, suitable for his origins.

Toph pulled away, the short bond between earth and air broken.

"What was that for?" Aang asked touching his lips in shock.

"I wanted to do that for a long time." She said softly.

"Anyway, after touching your face, I figured you're too cute not to kiss,"

"Oh um, thanks," Aang replied.

"Does this mean you have a crush on me?"

"What do you think?" She laughed, returning to her normal self.

"Thanks for letting me see what you looked like, Twinkletoes!"

And with that, she walked off, leaving one very confused Avatar.


	10. The Ending Chapter

Here it is boys and girls, the very last chapter!

Later that night, Toph sat in her rock tent, Momo curled up in her lap. She smiled to herself, thinking about her day. She had become closer to Iroh and Katara, which she had wanted to do. Both of them had reached out to her and she wanted to know what her new family looked like.

She made Sokka blush. Which was payback for all the times he'd made her blush, or swoon in her rock tent where no one could see.

She'd helped Zuko open up. That was accidental, but she was sure it had helped him a lot to open up and let out all his grief. Theye were so similar, she thought, both of them very determined and stubborn. He was like an older brother.

Then to top off an amazing day, she kissed Aang. It was amazing, her first kiss. She never thought she'd even kiss anyone, her parents had drilled into her head, that because she was blind, romance was not for her. If they were going to arrange a marriage (which they probably wouldn't anyway) they would give her away to some old widower or some disgusting pig of a man, willing to take any wife, even a blind one.

But before she was old enough to be sold into marriage she had run away with the Avatar. He'd saved her in his way from a bleak future. Maybe that was why she'd fallen for him. He'd saved her, he'd been her friend and treated her like she was a real person, not an invalid. Sure, things were going to be awkward between her and Aang tomorrow when the trained, but she could handle that. She's Toph Bei Fong, what couldn't she do?

If she could use her hands as her eyes, not letting her blindness rule her then she could certainly handle anything.


End file.
